


The Trojan Affair

by StarMaamMke



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Misunderstandings, mild to moderate angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-11 06:08:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13518165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarMaamMke/pseuds/StarMaamMke
Summary: Jim catches Jonathan and Nancy in a compromising situation; Joyce isn't ready, but Jim is willing to wait.





	The Trojan Affair

She fit perfectly in his arms, a fact that put Jim in mind of that book he had given Sarah when she first stayed at the hospital. He had been in such a rush at the bookstore, anxious to get her as many things as possible to make her stay more comfortable, that he had been more or less swiping whole shelves into his basket, not really paying attention to the titles. 

Sarah had wrinkled her nose when she pulled it out of the shopping bag. It was definitely a children’s story, one of those big hardcovers with gigantic font and almost primitive illustrations. He told her she didn’t have to read it, and explained his error at the bookstore, asking her if she would kindly just give him a reading list next time. She just smiled at handed it to him, asking him to read it to her anyway, because she liked the title.

 _The Missing Piece_ by Shel Silverstein. That was the book Joyce reminded him of as he held her close, guarding her from the damp cold and the crushing grief.

_Some fit… but could not roll_

In High School, they had rolled together, fitting perfectly until he grew too big for the town, and she started to feel suffocated by the prospect of being with the first person she had ever kissed for all of eternity. So they parted and grew. Now it seemed as though they were very nearly in the same place, ready to fit together again. 

She looked up at him with a watery-eyed smile that made her bottom lip tremble from the effort, and Jim felt his heart swell, tears prickling at his own eyes at the sight. He should’ve thought better of it, should’ve come up with some different way to comfort her - a joke, soothing words, another kiss on the top of her head - but she was stunning in the soft light of the parking lot, with her delicate, pointed features, and her eyes that were far too big for her pale face, and her full, trembling lips.

Joyce was soft and compliant for a brief, sweet moment - her hands coming to his shoulders so she could stand on her tiptoes and alleviate the strain of him having to accommodate her lack of height, sighing against his lips as they pressed against hers, tilting her head against his warm palm as it cupped her cold cheek. 

But that was over in an instant. He felt her shrink, felt the press of her upper and lower lips, preventing him from deepening the kiss - felt the rigidity in her petite from. He pulled away and looked down, his blood turning to ice at the sight of her wide, panicked eyes, and her slightly open mouth. Her chin trembled and more tears started to appear.

His conscience smote him. 

“Joyce, I’m sorry,” he managed after a long, terrible beat. 

“Me too, Hop. I’m not ready.” She started to back away from him, as though threatened. He took two steps back to demonstrate that he was definitely not a threat.

“I know. Jesus, let’s forget about this, okay?”

Joyce nodded and took a deep, shuddering breath. “For now.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s forget this for now. You make me… you make me feel certain things, that I probably shouldn’t be feeling just yet.” She furrowed her brow as she pondered her next words, her teeth worrying at the thumbnail of the hand she brought up to her mouth. 

“Do you want me to wait?”

Her head shook. “I know you’re - you’ve got a reputation. I’m not asking that… but if I’m ready and you’re around–”

“I’ll wait, Joyce.”

She blinked several times, her hand falling from her mouth to reveal a perfectly shaped ‘O’ of surprise. “You will?”

“Oh yeah.”

* * *

 

“Please don’t tell my mom,” Jonathan Byers pleaded, his eyes trained on the ground as he and Nancy stood, shoulder-to-shoulder against the bumper his beat-up car, Chief Jim Hopper glaring down at the pair.

“You were both naked in a car on public property… that’s pretty serious, kid.” 

Jim had taken over patrol of the usual teen makeout points for the evening, his least favorite task, but considering he was a Hawkins native, it was the general consensus that he had the best knowledge of all locations. This wasn’t a lie. He had been well-versed in every quiet nook and cranny of Hawkins that was appropriate (or inappropriate) to take a date. He was both shocked, and mortified to discover Joyce Byers’s son parking in such a place. Shocked because Jonathan was such a quiet, indoors type of kid, and mortified because it was the exact spot Jim had taken the boy’s mother’s virginity over twenty years previously.

“Chief, come on - you were young once,” Nancy argued, her hands on her hips, her stubborn chin jutting out in determination as she stared up at Jim with cool intelligent eyes. 

Jim exhaled and thought about what would happen if he had to tell Joyce where he had found her son, about the look in her tired brown eyes, and the drooping corners of her pretty mouth. She probably wouldn’t be so mortified about the sex thing - she was many things but she wasn’t a prude -  as much as the getting arrested (again) thing. He really, really hated being the bearer of bad news, particularly when it came to Joyce.

“Letting you off with a warning this time. You too better get more creative, or put the brakes on the PDA. Drive her straight home, kid. I’m not going to embarrass your parents with a ride home in the Blazer, especially when neither of you are under the influence.”

Jonathan and Nancy nodded. “Yes, sir,” the boy murmured. Nancy gave the chief a little nod before walking over to the passenger side of the car and getting in. Jim put a hand on Jonathan’s shoulder when the boy started to move.

“Not so fast, kid. I need to talk to you over here.” Jim led Jonathan a few yards away, a far corner of the parking lot that was illuminated by a lamp post. Once safely out of earshot, Jim handed Jonathan a condom wrapper.

“This fell out of the car when you to came bursting out.”

Jonathan turned bright red and hastily stuffed it into one pocket of his jeans. “Yeah? Well, better safe than sorry, right?”

“That thing has been expired for years. Where did you get it?”

Jonathan looked away, his face darkening to a deep crimson. “I got it out of a box of things my dad left.”

“And you didn’t check the date?”

A head shake. Jim cursed under his breath.

“Jesus, kid, don’t you know they sell these things at supermarkets and gas stations?”

Jonathan looked Jim square in the eyes. “Yeah, and what cashier within a ten mile radius doesn’t know my mom? This place is gossip central.”

“You don’t think your mom knows you and Nancy have sex?” 

“I don’t know! Jesus, I don’t wanna even think about that!” Jonathan near-shouted, prompting a chuckle from Jim.

“You poor bastard. Look, don’t try and use one of these on Nancy again. I know I can’t stop you from doing what teenagers do, but don’t… you might as well wear nothing, Jonathan. Christ sake.”

“Okay? Well, Nancy doesn’t want to go pick these up either.”

Jim nodded. “Okay. Tell you what, if you promise you’re not going to park and try to have sex with a expired rubber ever again, I’ll help you out.”

Jonathan frowned. “What? That’s… kinda weird.”

“I’m not going to have you break your mom’s heart because you’re too chickenshit to buy your own condoms. She’s too young to be a grandma.”

Jonathan sighed and nodded, his eyes darting back to the ground. “You’re right,” he agreed, softly.

* * *

Joyce Byers smiled and waved from across the grocery store as she spotted Jim near the produce section, pushing a cart. He appeared sheepish for a moment, frozen to the spot - she rolled her eyes and pushed her cart towards him. 

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” She scolded, giving him a little side hug. They had left a lot of things unspoken since their kiss in the school parking lot during Snowball, and Joyce was determined that things not get weird between them, even though they had parted with the agreement that she just wasn’t ready. “What are you getting?” She inquired cheerfully, giving the contents of his cart a once over. Her eyes widened at the large box of Trojans resting on top of the bagged deli meat.

“Oh.”

“Nice seeing you, Joyce, but I’m kind of in a hurry,” Jim mumbled in a rush. Joyce, her blood cold and her eyes not meeting his, nodded slowly. 

“Okay.”

“See you.”

“See you, Hop.”

She didn’t start crying until she turned down the road to her house.

* * *

 

“Mom, where are Jane and the Chief?” Will inquired. Before Snowball, Joyce and Jim had agreed to allow for Jane to visit with the Byers every other Friday night, under Jim’s supervision; however, there were only three plates and three sets of silverware set out, flanking a single pizza. 

Joyce sniffed and shrugged. “I guess I cancelled on them. I’m not feeling great and I’m sure Hopper has better things to do with his time.” She tried her hardest to soften the edge in her tone, but she could tell by Will’s perplexed expression that he was sensing something.

“No Hopper?” Jonathan asked as he walked into the kitchen through the back door. This time, Joyce couldn’t control the exasperated huff that escaped her mouth. “Mom?”

Joyce gave a nervous chuckle. “No, honey. I told them to stay home tonight, I’m not feeling great.”

Jonathan stepped forward and observed her with a frown. “You don’t look sick. Do you want to go lie down? I’ll bring a plate to your room.”

“No! I mean - no, thank you, sweetie. Let’s just have a nice dinner.”

Something nagged at Jonathan as they sat down to dinner. He was certain his mother wasn’t ill, but he knew she wasn’t happy either, at least not with Hopper. He kept trying to study her, to gauge what was irking her through observation, but she refused to meet his or Will’s eyes throughout dinner, and barely participated in the conversation. It was almost as if she was embarrassed by something.

Jonathan thought back to the other day, when the chief stopped by to drop off the condoms, discreetly nestled in a paper bag. Jim handed them off, avoiding eye contact with Jonathan as he refused payment of any sort.

“Just be careful, kid. “

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell Mom.”

Jim’s eyes widened and flashed at Jonathan at his response, and he drew in a long, shaky breath. “That’s not what I meant, but yeah, probably don’t tell her.” His tone dripped with guilt.

The guilt had been too much, and he had come clean. That had to have been it, Jonathan reasoned as he glanced over at his mother, who was picking absently at the pizza toppings. Shame curled up in his belly.

“Don’t be mad at Hopper, he was just trying to help!” Jonathan exclaimed. 

Joyce looked up from her plate, her eyes wide with surprise. “Excuse me?”

“He caught me and Nancy together, and I told him I was too afraid to buy -” he snuck a glance at a bewildered Will “- protection, so he bought them for me. The things, and I know you know, but if you want to be mad, you should probably be mad at me, not him.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Will asked.

“Nothing!” Joyce exclaimed, waving a dismissive hand at her youngest as she regarded her oldest with a steady, but pale expression. “They were for you?”

Jonathan’s eyes darted to his plate and he nodded, sheepishly. “Yes.”

“Not for him?”

The boy pulled a disgusted face. “Gross, Mom. Thanks for the mental picture.”

Joyce was smiling to herself as went back to her pizza, the knot she had been carrying in her stomach for the past three days unclenching ever-so gradually.

* * *

 

“Joyce Byers is in your office again. I told her to wait out here but… well, it’s Joyce.” Flo announced as Jim sauntered into the police station. He found himself grinning the moment Joyce’s name was mentioned, and a warmth spread from his chest to his cheeks, filling him with joy and relief. He hadn’t spoken to her since she cancelled family dinner, and hadn’t seen her since that day in the grocery store when…

Jim had been beating himself up over that moment for days. He knew exactly what it looked like; him walking around with a giant box of condoms, knew precisely how hurt she must’ve been to see it, and days after he declared he would wait for her…

But he couldn’t exactly tell her who he was buying the condoms for, right? It was messy, and instead of coming up with some sort of weak excuse, he decided to let her think what she was thinking, let her be the one to put the distance between them. The Black Hole would’ve taken her eventually anyway. It would get easier with time, giving up on her…

Except for the fact that the thought of her in his office, waiting for him, made his heart jackhammer against his chest in anticipation. What could she possibly want to say? Was something wrong with the boys? That thought took the wind out of his sails considerably, and hastened his footsteps. He opened the door and stepped inside, his eyes immediately darting to where she was sitting in front of his desk, legs crossed and bouncing with nervous anticipation.

“Joyce, what’s wr-”

“Did you buy condoms for my son?”

He no longer knew if it was better that she knew the truth, or if he preferred her to think otherwise. There was no discerning the expression on her stoic face, and her tone was cool and quiet. He took off his hat, lowered it, and twisted it between his nervous hands, the blush in his cheeks intensifying.

“He was nervous about you finding out about him and Nancy. I busted them in his car the other night. They were using protection, but they were - uh… - expired.”

“Jesus,” she cursed softly.

“Yeah, I’m really sorry about that, I just didn’t want the kid to get into trouble and cause you any more worry than you–”

“You could’ve told me, Hopper. I’m not stupid, I know he’s having sex.” Jim glanced at her, noting the way her nose wrinkled at the word ‘sex’. She knew about it, and wasn’t going to forbid her boy from seeing Nancy, but it didn’t mean that the facts weren’t hard to digest. 

“Like I said…”

“I thought they were for you.” She rose to her feet and stepped towards him, her eyes going soft and her lower lip sticking out ever-so-slightly. There was no mistaking the sadness expressed so plainly in her small, pale face. 

Jim shook his head and closed the distance between them, cupping her face between his hands. Her cheeks were icy beneath his palms. “I told you I’d wait for you, and I meant it.” He wanted to kiss her now, his eyes searching her face for any sign of acquiescence.

“Still?” She swayed forward a bit, tilting her chin upwards. 

“It’s barely been a week since I said I would. I’ve waited a lot longer for things in my life, I can stand another three days,” he joked with a smirk. 

“Only three?” She placed her hands on his chest, sliding them up to his shoulders to steady herself as she stood on her tiptoes.

“Five, six… I’m very disciplined.” He brushed his thumbs over her cheekbones, eliciting a shiver as he dipped his head towards her.

“If you can hold out until Christmas I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Oh?”

“But in the meanwhile…”

She brushed her lips against his. The movement was feather-light, like butterfly wings. The second kiss was deeper, also initiated by her - he was too afraid to press his luck - he moaned against her mouth, and stood up straight, her feet leaving the floor as he held her close. A push against his chest signaled the need to part, and he obligingly set her back on solid ground. She was grinning up at him, her cheeks pink, and her dark eyes sparkling.

“Yeah, I think I can wait until Christmas.”


End file.
